Brood Boxes one or two

Flow Hive
1

So im just starting out and learning all I can before I jump in this coming spring. My one question is do/should I use two brood boxes I’m in Wyoming so our winters can be very cold. Would the second box be all honey for them in the winter or would I put the excluder on top of the second box and help the hive get bigger? Or would it be best to just start with one and maybe add another the following year?
Thanks
Dave

2

In order for us to help you, it would be helpful to know where you are in the world, and what kind of climate here in. By knowing where you are we might be able to determine if you’re in a tropical climate and arid dry climate or a bitter cold winter climate.

In the United States, typically to brood boxes is standard, from my understanding.

You start out with one box until it is 80% full of bees and then you at the 2nd and then after that when it is full is when you add your honey super

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Thanks that’s good to know I’m in Casper Wyoming US. we have cold winters so I was not sure if it would be better to have one full Brood so the bees are tighter for the winter or to do two and hope they both fill up good.

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Definitely two, and three may be even better as the Flow hive is an 8-frame box. I bet your locals are all on double deep 10-frame boxes, which is 20 frames. If you have three 8-frame deeps, you will have 24 frames, which is just a little more than your locals. Join a local club and ask how many “deeps” for winter, but don’t say “Flow” because you will lose all credibility before you even had any. Just say you want to keep bees in an 8-frame Langstroth hive.

It doesn’t work that way. The you give bees space, they do what they want. You can’t decide for them. They are not trainable like a dog! :smile:

Yes, or on top of the third box, but each box must be almost full before you add the next. You may not get a harvest in your first year, it will all depend on the weather.

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Thanks a bunch Dawn that really helps out a lot:) yes I have been seeing that about the Flow is that the old school people are very against it but to each is own… Its the system I like and that’s what I’m going to use. So then when the second box is 80-90% full I could then add the Flow super if I still have some season left?

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Yes. If you are in the northern hemisphere, you have probably missed the season for this year. But no reason not to plan for next year! :smile:

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Thanks a bunch and yes I’m in Wyoming so this is all planning for next year… :slight_smile:

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Hi, I am in Wyoming too. There are a few of us on here from WY. I’m in Star Valley and it’s very cold here too. Most people here use 2 10 frame brood boxes for winter. Make sure they are full of honey now, you may need to feed more now to make sure they are full enough to get through the long winters.